Tag Archives: Tower climb

Wireless Site Labor Issues and Advice

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As we approach 2019, I see some serious issues for the deployment labor force. There will be a shortage of tower workers and integration engineers. It will run through 2021. This bottleneck will put a deep strain on the workforce that has been maintaining for the past several years. This is a workforce that is limited. Site work is a limited skill set as well as a limited workforce. It also has been beaten down by the carriers to remove many of the highly qualified seasoned craftsmen that were once synonymous with this industry. Now it has a younger and inexperienced workforce. All of this and a mentality that they will be used while needed then immediately disposed of once the industry work tapers off. They could get laid off, fired, or abandoned. It all happens in the wireless site business. This is typical of the wireless carrier business. It is feast or famine, meaning that all the work hits at once, then most of it disappears. That is the issue here, the slow business has put a downturn on the field workers causing the industry to downsize. While this is like construction, the carriers determine the workload, not the end-user. Unlike construction, it is not as steady nor does it turn out that all workers can migrate to another part of the business. Each part of the business has specific skill sets.

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Trust me; I have been there. I talked to many of these people, and I see what goes on. While AT&T’s turf system initially was great for the investors, it really changed the face of the tower climbing workforce for the worse. To be honest, that is why I got out.  It was hard to climb towers for less money every year. Low bidder generally wins. That and the cost to do business was going up. Let’s explore.

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When the turf system came along, it gave hope to local climbers. Any national climbing company has a hard time ramping up and moving crews across the country while maintaining a stable workforce. Smaller crews are generally in the market or within 4 hours of a market. Remember when AT&T’s projection of tower work a few years ago was driving companies to ramp up only to have it all disappear? I do. When that didn’t pan new climbers got laid off, and the larger companies had to discontinue training and scale back. It was a disaster.

I want to give my condolences to the family of Melvin Ronnie Nelson, Jr., who died April 2nd, 2018, working on a tower for Verizon. He was 34 years old from Foley, Alabama. The tower was being erected in Utica, Mississippi. My prayers go out to him and his family. To learn more go to Wireless Estimator . To make a difference, make a contribution to the Hubble Foundation. We all feel terrible when a fellow wireless workers dies, especially on the job.

Now, we see the need for climbers again. The problem is the climbing end of it doesn’t seem so lucrative as it once did. Will the crews be able to get more money based on supply and demand? Will they be able to get a good year in with plenty of work? I hope so. The way it looks, 2019 and 2020 should be big years for field work. On the tower and on the ground. While the RF engineering work is done more and more by programs, we still need workers to go out and do the site work. It’s still a necessity.

Will there be enough workers? Of course not. There is no way they can do all the work that is coming, based on projections. All the major carriers in the US are looking to do changes at tower sites and roll out small cells. They all need to deploy more LTE, massive MIMO, and 5G. It’s fixed and mobile wireless. It’s a lot of work.

Don’t forget the fiber workers; they will need to make changes to keep up the expansion. The workforce extends beyond the field, it will be a drain on upgrading the backhaul as well as all utilities.

It’s going to be busy, but the tower industry is not ready. I am glad that they will get plenty of work, but they need to be safe. It is a dangerous job. The issue with the carrier work is that the safety requirements are high, the schedule is tight, the closeout is slow, and it takes a long time Get the Wireless Deployment Handbook today!to get paid in some cases. All reason NOT to work for many carriers or their turf vendors. It’s tough to float money, whether it’s to pay for your workers or to pay your contractors. The carriers will need to understand this. They need to do their part if they want quality work.

We need safety and proper training, that is number one! Let’s not cut back there. Although, it takes time to train people properly and to match the experience on a crew with the inexperienced. Planning, patience, and training. Be careful when doing this. Most experienced crews want to keep their crew. Most companies don’t want to pay 5 guys when 4 can do the job, even if the fifth guy is to be learning the job. They want all of them to be working and productive.

So, what can the industry do? Good question. They should get busy planning and roll out now, but we all know that the product may not be ready or that more planning is needed. Probably not going to happen that soon.

Try to reserve crews? I don’t think any crew would sit and wait or stay if there is more money to be made with another contractor. Why wait and hope to get paid? Why leave money on the table? Go do the work and get paid.

As always, payments will be an issue. That has been the biggest issue in the industry, yet it seems to be the dirty secret no one wants to talk about. Why? Because if you don’t’ get paid, it becomes an issue of pointing fingers. Let’s face it; if you don’t pay, then the contractor will say you didn’t do your job.

What to look out for? Here are some tricks that screwed climbing crews in the past.

  • The GC, general contractor, will not give the crew all the parts they need to finish the job, and they say they will only pay when the job is finished. Then, as the contractor leaves to wait for the missing parts, the GC gives the parts to another crew and has them finish the work in a day. Why? Because they only pay the second crew for a day’s work and they don’t pay the first crew anything because they didn’t finish the job.
  • When jobs are winding down, GCs have let crews on a job, and just no paid, leaving the crews to fend for themselves. I have heard horror stories about how the GC would not pay for the expenses that were incurred.
  • Some GCs will pay partial payments and tell the crews that they will pay if the crew does the next job, then another, until they have exhausted their expense money and then the GC won’t pay because they know the crew, generally a small company, will go out of business before they can sue the GC.

I know, these are terrible, yet very common in the industry. Don’t worry too much, many crews protect themselves and have systems in place to prevent this from happening. They often plan and have someone who is good with the paperwork. You must protect yourself.

It’s not all roses for the GCs; they have to deal with crew shortages and crews that don’t show. They must deal with crews leaving their jobs to go to a higher bidder. They will leave your job to make a few hundred more dollars with another GC. It’s going to get competitive out there.

Then there are crews with specific skill sets, like welding and structural modifications, they always cost more because they can do what other crews can’t.

What can you do to protect yourself? Let’s look at some ideas.

  • If you’re an individual, then make sure you have a contract stating your terms of It’s best to get it in writing. Many times, companies will not hire W2 employees but 1099 climbers. This is where problems can begin. They technically may be run like a W2 worker, which opens legal issues.
  • If the crew is under contract, they should have a clear scope of work for the specific job and how to get paid. Remember to get the change order process to get paid for the items out of scope.
  • If you have to provide hardware, make it clear what hardware you need to provide.
  • Remember that you’re getting paid for the solution, not the time on site in most cases. This means you don’t get paid until a closeout package is accepted. In this case, make sure you define what the closeout package will be and how long it takes from the time of the COP to be accepted until you get paid.
  • Make sure the contract is aligned to meet what you have in the scope. While these can be 2 documents, they generally both play a part in getting paid. Understand them both when you do the work. Make sure your crew understands the scope and how to finish the site.
  • Have a transparent process in place for change orders. Make it quick and simple, like an email from a smartphone. Don’t do the work until you have an email confirmation on your phone. Often verbal approvals get lost, overridden or ignored.

These are just some ideas to help you out. I know there are more and if you have more feel free to send them to me at wade4wireless@gmail.com because I am always looking for how contractors have been taken in the past and how they prevent it in the future.

Site work is not easy. The carriers have it all broken down into an hourly wage model. Many GCs look for any loophole they can to get around payments. If you have a good relationship with the GC and the carrier, life is good. It pays to work with people you like and respect.

One last thing, people die tower climbing. It happens, and there are several each year. OSHA and the FCC are here to help. Use the resources they provide. Get the training you need.

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Here is a checklist of some common sense rules that are easy to ignore:

  • Only do the work if you feel comfortable.
  • The more you do it, the better you get.
  • Dress for safety and for the weather.
  • Do what you can to be safe.
  • Be 100% tied off.
  • Don’t do stupid things.
  • Pay attention to what you’re doing and who it around you.
  • All this is good advice, and yet we all ignore it, don’t we?
  • It helps to know your limitations and be safe.

Resources:

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

See Ya!

 

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Hubble Foundation helps the families of climbers in a time of need and beyond with financial support and counseling!

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Tower Family Foundation supports the families of tower climbers at the time of crisis when a climber falls with financial assistance and more.

 

 

A Quick Note on First Climbs

OK, I thought I would share some information about how to handle the first climb. Not everyone goes to Tower Safety training on day one, (Tower Safety is my sponsor). The probably shouldn’t because if they go to tower safety class on day one then that will be their first climb, at the class. That’s OK if that’s your structure. But what if they hate climbing? Do they know that before they climb, not always.

By the way, Dr Hester of the Hubble Foundation is looking for comments on this,  bridgette@hubblefoundation.org.

This has sparked a lot of controversy when the information came out about the Stephanie Gurney, posted here and Wireless Estimator has it here.

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So with the first climb, what can you do to make sure the climber is safe? Do you just send them up the tower and hope for the best? That’s what I did when I went up the first time, and I would never let anyone do that again, it was stupid and I would like to think we have learned.

I would recommend this procedure.

  • Before sending someone up the first time I would recommend that they actually help out with a tower crew on the ground first so they are familiar with the hardware and structure of what is going on. How long is up to you. I think that 2 weeks is the minimum.
  • Then when you send them up the tower the first time I recommend that you take every precaution. I would send up the experienced person first and have them rig a safety line up high. Then make sure the new climber has a rope grab on them at all times. That way if they can’t handle the safety lanyard they will have the rope grab as a backup. I don’t care if it’s cumbersome and a pain to use, it insures they have a backup safety line no matter what. Make sure they know and understand how to use the safety lanyard and the positioning lanyard. Go up with them if possible.
  • Take the first climb very seriously. Make sure that the climber knows you are near.
  • Limit the climb to 50 feet or less until you know they are very comfortable.

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OK, excuses:

  • We don’t have time!
    1. Will you have time to bury them?
  • That costs extra money.
    1. What does a funeral cost? What about a lawsuit? What about a life?
  • If they say they are ready, then they are ready.
    1. You won’t know until they do it.
  • I know this person, they have no fear.
    1. It’s not about just fear, it’s about skill!
  • They say they are ready.
    1. Wouldn’t you say that if you needed a job?
  • I don’t’ want to embarrass them in front of the crew.
    1. Do you want them to die in front of the crew?

To sum it up, I would be overly cautious, safety takes time and money. Unfortunately many companies just don’t care. However, many do care and to those owners I say thank you and keep up the good work!

One more note, when I got certified under Winton Wilcox, he had everyone wear a rope grab. It just made sense.  First guy up rigged the safety lines.

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

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“I sought my God and my God I could not find.

I sought my soul and my soul eluded me.

I sought my brother to serve him in his need, and I found all three.

My God, my soul and thee”

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FISK Videos

I thought this week I would show some videos of tower climbers using the FISK.

That is all! Be smart, be safe, and pay attention!

Climbing and Repelling in Little Rock AFB


Fisk Descender with Red rope.

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DBI Sala Fisk Descender Instructional Video


How to use Fisk / Control Descent / Light load

So remember to be smart, be safe, and pay attention to what you’re doing! Make a plan, follow the plan but don’t be afraid to adapt, improvise, and overcome your obstacles!

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Feedback from “Is it Time to Unionize Tower Climbers?”

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This is feedback from my earlier post, “Is it Time to Unionize Climbers?” You have a voice so use it! Commentary on the perception many people have of the union and the climbing industry.

Comment: I applaud the conversation.  This needs more focus and attention.  I’m not an expert on unions and maybe not a fan of them because of what I’ve heard about them, that being said, I feel this is one industry that could and should have one.  I’ve tried personally to open a Telecom University, funding was not there.  Watching the DOL and FCC try to get some proper training for the industry is interesting.  What is the right thing?  Not sure, but I’d like to see some changes and am willing to help.  Going back to the union idea – again, I’m not an expert.  I’d be more than willing to bring my 23 years of telecom experience and contacts to the table and help get a solution though.  If enough people came to a table and got involved, I have no doubt we could do it.

Response: Thanks for pointing out that the industry needs some help. I think the question is a good one as well.

Comment: I am former West Region Safety Training Manager for Nexius. They have put their climbers in a separate company so they can better manipulate wages, training, and safety regulation costs, without affecting the rest of Nexius assets. This can potentially put climbers in danger, and keep them at a lower wage rate, with less benefits than other Nexius employees. I would like to help organize, train, and unionize climbers in the desert southwest. I am currently starting my own company training tower climbers in the southwest.

Response: Thanks for pointing out how the climbers are separated out from the rest of the company. I have seen this done to keep insurance costs down as well as protect the company from liability. Insurance companies know that it is a high risk job and the rates show it. Pretty tough job when the expenses are so high for something that turf vendors want to pay $10/hour for the service.

Comment: 13 years in, have made tremendous sacrifice , it has to go, in a better direction with more gain for the individuals who truly make it happen.

Response: Once again this shows how hard the field crews work with little reward or a better future. Thank you for sharing and for the hard work.

Comment: I am not so sure being unionized would be the best thing for this industry, however I do see some positive points that would help the industry as well.
The biggest problem that I would see coming out of this, is that it would cause climbers to get lazy,  it’s no secret that these jobs are time sensitive, you show up to site you start working and you don’t stop, a lot of times not even for lunch, you eat while you work.  I have worked or been on a lot of jobs with union workers and to be honest, I have never seen one bust his but at the pace climbers generally work at.  It’s something we seasoned climbers pride ourselves on, while we complain at times, deep down we are proud we can show up day after day and spend 12 plus hours on the tower and knock a site out a day earlier then the projected completion.  I have noticed union workers do not have this mentality a lot if times and spend a lot of time socializing and working at their pace, rather than following the mentality of (not all climbers) but most.
I see a huge positive in an apprenticeship program and extended training, I have seen too many guys come into this industry with zero experience other than a two-day course whether in-house or at a school in certified climbing and rescue then they are thrown into a crew and expected to work, with zero rigging experience, and zero carrier technology experience in a sort of boot camp period for green hands, I think this is a good period, if placed with a good crew and foreman it really helps to set the tone of what is expected and that we work at a face paced, you are not on your phone and we are not here to socialize but to work and work hard.  However I would like to see guys with a lot more experience and training from some an apprenticeship program maybe 6 months long.  This will only improve confidence in the green hand.
I would like to see a better pay scale, even us more seasoned foreman make good money, but not the greatest, the carriers make a LOT of money and this job is not easy, we are out there battling the elements, fatigue, long hours, and physical abuse to the body, I just feel a lot of us should be paid more for the risks we take every day and the impact to our bodies we endure during the long hours, we are talking about being for the most part the back bone to these carriers that are which are multi billion dollar companies, yet green hands make about the same as someone working in a checkout line at a grocery store.  I believe there is room for a lot of improvement in the pay scales for the work we do and the risks we take.

Response: I have to tell you that the union guys I worked with were anything but lazy. However, I heard all of the stories about how they just sit around. I think the difference between those stories is that most shops are in it to make money. If someone sits around then it is hard to make money. Don’t get me wrong, you seem to have many people out there, union and non-union that are lazy and don’t care. Most tower climbers, union or non-union that I have worked with get it, they understand that time is money and that quality counts.

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Comment from email: The bigger question, why unionize anybody? That answer rests with your political tastes, government or private sector. In my opinion, labor unions are parasites, sucking much nutrition, i.e., $$$$, and returning little more than placebos, feel good benefits, feel good commandery and feel good job security. There are reasons that labor unions in general are nose-diving into non-existence and that is the expose’ that they are more form over little substance. Their intrinsic and bureaucratic relationship with government makes even the perceptual “form” lethargic and corrupt.

Among the “pros” mentioned, most important, “certification,” implies “qualification<’ which everybody wants but seldom get unless industry-driven. Industry is driven by results, i.e., $$$$$ – something which government and labor unions extract very well but don’t return, generate nor inspire. And so, your labor union certification programs would become pencil-whipping cheat sheet worthless documents – the “old guy” [seniority] is always top-paid and ranked and usually the biggest time-clock [productivity] cheater – the essence of labor unions.

In the roughly three and a half decades of cellular / wireless tower climbers the industry has been composed of every genre of beer-drinking blue-collar worker from farm boys to apprentice electricians to auto mechanics. Very few of them have understood the basics of RF, 50 ohms, impedance match, resonance, antenna gain or skin-effect. Even with Site Master sweep-generators being made readily available they still didn’t appreciate what the readings meant. Antennas and coax installed – a few days of freezing rain, all of a sudden high VSWR alarms are awakening the on-call cell tech and shutting down RBS sites – this was the norm more than the exception for at least two decades of the industry until the demand for some rudimentary education and certification began trickling in – maintenance overruns made operation managers pull their hair out.

Unionization? No.   Industry-driven standardized training and certification? Yes.

Response: This was a common response, many people really dislike unions. However, he mentions that the tower climbers are beer drinking buddies, I think that is a sign that you get what you pay for. I know many climbers that do understand RF and the mechanical design of the towers. However, I also know the ones that view it as a laborers job, a means to pay the bills. Again, I feel you get what you tolerate. If you want a laborer, chances are that is what you will get. The standards will be set soon, then there will be a weeding out of some of the bad eggs, but then the price will go up to have qualified people. Isn’t that where we are now?

Comment from email: Great post. I am a 15 yr member of IBEW LOCAL 1. Two years ago we sent 20 men, all journeymen, through CITCA competent climber, authorized climber and tower rescue class. We had an opportunity to work for Wigdahl Electric. All went well for a time. We all loved working on cell towers. We also had civil crews for base work. The company lost a big chunk of work thru Ericsson/Sprint so we diversified into ATT and T-Mobile. At some point earlier this year the management in St. Louis from Wigdahl was not able to secure more work for us and shut the doors to the St. Louis branch. We, LOCAL 1, are still trying to get into the tower business thru a contractor and have discussed all of the pros you have listed.

Response: Thanks for letting us know. Good luck for the future!

Comment: Approached some officials at NATE about doing just that, providing skilled workers on a permanent basis or temporary.  All ready trained and certified.  The response was indescribable. They were only interested in their bottom line, not safety or training or skills. Left that meeting with my head in my hands. So you understand me, I have been in this business for over 35 years as a union Ironworker.

Response: Thank you, appreciate the input.

Comment: I am a tower climber and I am a union member,,,,, The IBEW has no clue what I do for a living but damn sure can tell you about electricians!!!!
What a Joke!! Even insurance companies cannot understand what we do for a living!!!!

Response: I have run into that in the past where insurance people have no idea what you do. At that time we joined NATE and got an education on how to insure the company. I learned quite a bit from NATE about the business. It helped the company prepare and grown.

 What do you think?

Be smart, be safe, and pay attention to what you are doing! Adapt, improvise, to overcome. Stay Alive!

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Support the Hubble Foundation! When a climber gets hurt, they are there. When a climber is stranded they are there. When a climber gets stuck somewhere they are there. Would you want someone to help you out if that happened?

By the way, OSHA has not updated their site yet with the latest fatality numbers. OSHA Communications Tower

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Wade 4 Wireless Updates and Feedback

Updates:

Update: The FCC and Department of Labor are teaming up for the Tower Climber Safety and Injury workshop. Read about it here. It will be on the internet live, go here on October 14th at 9:30AM ET. I am really looking forward to this because the standards are being set. I want to get to DC so I can witness history first hand. This will be the day that climbing standards will be well-defined in the US. The agenda is here. I am curious how many actual climbers will be helping out and how many will offer their advice. Some big names in the industry will be there, like Gette Hester, Wally Reardon, Dave Anthony, Art Pregler, and Craig Lekutis. NATE will have Todd Schlekeway representing them. It should be a big day but the real test will be to see what will happen afterwards. Will rigging standards be set, will there be more than 100% tie off promotions? Will there be real standards set that will be enforceable? I know all the chances I took back when I climbed, now the standard regulations will be set. Remember that what happens here will determine how many lives will be saved in the future. This will shape the industry for the better, I hope. With safety, climber’s values will go up, so will billable hours, so will the number of people who live! This may have the ability to make the industry as safe as it can possibly be. I hope they make progress!

Update: Hey, did you hear that Wireless Horizon has contested the fines that OSHA is handing them? It’s true! They think that they have a story to get out of the fines. We’ll see. I would like to hear what the defense is.

Update: RCR did a story on tower climbing job search tips. Find out what they say here. Trust me, you need all the help you can get. I see jobs posting all the time and yet there are so many people looking.

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Feedback Below, remember these are your words!

Thank you all for your comments. I could not post them all here but I will post them!

Feedback on the botched rescue attempt where the FD had to rescue 2 climbers 50′ up! Original post here. Feedback says: “Hi Wade, wow another unbelievable news story about how the FD has had to rescue someone!!  There’s something far wrong here.     Why do people go to work on towers without a rescue plan and a rescue system?  They are not expensive to put together.   I wonder if it’s a case sometimes of kit being available but not having the confidence to carry out a rescue.   This I know you have asked before, whether people would carry out a rescue.   Really, if people work in this industry they should be prepared to rescue mentally and have the physical means available.       UK H&S legislation specifies that a review plan and mean of rescue must be in place for activities such as work at height and confined spaces.   It specifically states that the emergency services must not be relied upon as part of a rescue plan.    What happens if a commercial incident occurs where the emergency services attend and there has been no other rescue provision in place is that the HSE (UK equivalent of OSHA) investigate via the local Police department and people end up with fines?   If serious injury or death results, those responsible are in court.
It’s not perfect over here either.  Despite regular team rescue training, we need to re-certify our rescue every year.   The amount of people who find this terrifying despite having passed the annual refresher for years is mind-boggling.
Perhaps it’s the training industry paying lip service and just putting bodies through courses that don’t address actual training needs and build people’s confidence or perhaps this is symptomatic of the current worldwide demand for people to work in high places like towers and turbines and there’s not enough time for people to become seasoned.  Perhaps there are not enough people who have an aptitude for heights.  I don’t know the answers but it’s a good job that the fire departments take rescue seriously!”

My response is that you are correct, do climbers practice rescue? What happened there? Do we take rescue as seriously as we should when we go out to a remote spot to do a very dangerous job?

More feedback on same post, “Good to hear this guy is safe. But…when will people learn, you need a viable rescue plan while at heights, one that is achievable and not just writing on a piece of paper.”

My response, you are correct sir!

Feedback on OSHA fining Wireless Horizons, blog is here. Feedback: “Managers, directors and owners: Please don’t think about compliance with OSHA requirements as a way to avoid fines. Think about being the safest operation possible to protect the lives of sons, husbands, brothers, fathers, all the men who show up to support your business. Don’t they deserve your support in return?”

My response, well said!

Another feedback statement on that same post, “I’m pushing for all climbers to look out for each other at all times and under all conditions, if somebody is doing something wrong and nobody says anything to that person or shows or makes that person do it the correct way that’s their asses that’s gonna get chewed just the same if not fired just the same because we don’t want people who don’t look out for their sisters or brothers! Once we get both our hands and feet on the tower all we have up there are the people  working right beside us so we have to depend on each other, all we have is each other  and nobody else, so ya better hope you got some trustworthy people by your side That’s watching your back! Or ya just might end up dead just cause nobody spoke up to you or for you! And I hope this sinks into people heads Cause it’s definitely a problem brother, and a deadly problem at that! Thanks for providing a place for a voice to be heard.”

My response, thank you for spreading the word!

Let me know your pain! I have more feedback to post and I will continue next time. Meanwhile, what problems do you see out there? What do you think of the FCC and DOL teaming up? Do you think this is progress? Let me know! Wade4wireless@gmail.com

I am looking for tower pictures it you want to share any, email me at Wade4wireless@gmail.com.

From 2013, an AT&T site walk through.

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Bruce Holsted talks about how RMSF changed his life!

Hello all,

Young field workers, pay attention! This could save your life! He is sharing this to help you know not only how to treat this horrible disease but how to prevent it.

Bruce Holsted, a great guy! He opened up to me about how RMSF (Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever) stole 3 years of his life, and he has 2 more years to fully recover. It appears it is expected to take him 5 years to fully recover. All this form the bite of a tick. Luckily, the doctor he saw knew what he had. Unfortunately he waited 6 months to see a doctor.

Let me tell you about some of Bruce’s background. This is a company owner and a tower guy that has 4 full-time crews, hiring subs as needed. This is a guy that built his business over the past 24 years. This is a Hospice volunteer that gives his time to assist more than 25 people a year. This is a guy that has written 2 books, that I know of, for his descendants only to sell quite a few of them on Amazon. I spoke to him and he is a genuinely a good man. He is a Hospice volunteer, something I hold dear to my heart since losing my father a few years back. Bruce is a good man.

So how did a tiny tick almost ruin his life? One tick bite was enough to give him RMSF and cause him so many issues. It started with muscle cramps, mental confusion and more. He had arthritis and so many infections that affected his teeth and his prostrate. This disease almost ruined him, caused him to make bad decisions, and miss important meetings as well as some of his life. It cost him thousands of dollars and he almost lost his business.

Luckily he has a good wife and support of friends that helped him through this horrible ordeal. He also had a doctor that knew what he had and what to look for and how to treat it. He is doing well these days but he still has 2 more years of recovery. He has to keep a close watch on his health because he never knows how it will affect him next.

Prevention, prevention, prevention!So listen to the podcast for his story, not my words. He mentioned that we make sure you know that to kill ticks before they bite you by covering your clothes with Permethrin. This is so important because the best treatment for any tick bite born disease is prevention! What is it? Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permethrin and you will see that it is an insecticide that Bruce uses to kill ticks. You put it on your boots and jeans.

If you have RMSF there is support, go to the Facebook page Survivors of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease and you will see that there are others out there that went through what you are going through. Support for people going through this is very important! I want you to know that you are not alone.

Let me know what you think on Facebook.

More information on Permethrin;

http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/permethrin_fs.htm

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/Permtech.pdf

It comes in a spray bottle for your clothing sold here;

http://www.rei.com/product/768970/sawyer-permethrin-pump-spray-24-oz

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-Permethrin-Clothing-Repellent/dp/B007VCRX2S

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=Permethrin&adid=22222222220213080317&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40442039413&wl4=&veh=sem

To learn more about Bruce, go to http://www.bruceholsted.com/ and see his books, Sacred Spaces and Steps to a Conversation of Mind to learn more. Make sure you go to the photos section and look over all the pictures, there are several tower and engineer pictures in there. It is worth a look. He also has a Hospice section for those of you who are curious about it. God bless this man!

From my previous blog about ticks;

If you go to this site http://www.medicinenet.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever_pictures_slideshow/article.htm you will see a good explanation of the ticks and the disease. They also give hints on how to remove the tick safely and disinfect your wound after the tick is removed. Then save it in case you get sick. Put it in a zip lock bag or pill bottle and freeze it. This will give you something to take to the doctor and explain that you have a tick bite. That may help them diagnose the problem.

Some links that may help explain this tick bite disease.

http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountain_spotted_fever

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever/basics/definition/con-20032780

http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/rocky.html

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/rocky-mountain-spotted-fever

http://www.wbiw.com/local/archive/2014/06/officials-warning-about-ticks.php

http://blog.extension.uconn.edu/tag/deer-ticks/

On this one you need to scroll down to the article. http://www.onhealth.com/rocky_mountain_spotted_fever/article.htm#rocky_mountain_spotted_fever_rmsf_facts

NATE has a Planning Advisory Notice (PAN) for safety, http://natehome.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/PAN-NOV-DEC-2013.pdf and the main page for all NATE PANs is here, http://natehome.com/safety-education/planning-advisory-notice-pan/ if you’re interested. They have PANs for ANSI/TIA 1019-!-2012, Antenna Installations, Mounts and Inspections, FAA Aviation Obstruction Lighting, and Anchor Bolts.